Why do we have to be sick to go to therapy? Part 2

Balancing fascination with caution in an era of neuroscience enthusiasm

Before I forget to mention it, I created an Instagram! Please follow me @drkatiesdavis!

***

As a clinical and research neuropsychologist with fellowship training in neuroimaging, I have a deep passion for brain science. I believe that understanding the brain can greatly enhance our understanding of cognitive and emotional issues, and it's exciting to see the growing interest and knowledge among the general public in this area.

But I wonder if perhaps we have become a bit too seduced by neuroscience, and conversations about the nervous system have supplanted conversations about cognitive and emotional wellbeing.  

All of a sudden, it seems like so many people view unwanted feelings and behaviors through the lens of "nervous system dysfunction,” and they are turning away from established therapeutic approaches in favor of pseudoscientific techniques claiming to regulate bodily functions. While recognizing the mind-body connection is crucial, neglecting the mind aspect strikes me as highly problematic.

I want to emphasize that, though neuroscience research is fascinating, it is still in its infancy. We are really just beginning to learn how the brain affects our experiences, and we are still refining our methodologies. And we’re not practicing phrenology here: the brain's complexity means any claims of pinpointing distress in specific brain regions or altering neural pathways are likely premature or inaccurate.

I suspect that the problem stems from the incomplete destigmatization of mental illness and the reluctance to acknowledge struggles and failures openly. When we are in pain, it might seem easier to medicalize and externalize that pain than to really acknowledge and own it. I say medicalize because it seems like, if there isn’t a physical cause to emotional pain, then the pain can’t be real; and I say externalize because it’s easier to blame the problem on the brain or nervous system than to claim it as part of the self. 

Or maybe it’s tempting to reduce the problem to faulty wiring inside your head rather than to consider an impossible constellation of biological, cognitive, social, and environmental factors. A simple problem has a simple solution, and wouldn’t we all prefer simple?

The good news is that, even though our minds are complicated and mysterious, therapy is effective, so find a clinician you like, and get to work.

***

This feels important!